A day before Rahul’s anointment: Sonia says “I will retire”

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi broke silence on her role within the party a day ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s anointment as AICC President. Speaking to mediapersons, the veteran Congress leader said that her role is to retire now. Rahul was declared elected as the new President of the Congress party on Dec. 11. The 47-year-old leader is officially set to take charge tomorrow (Dec.16). Rahul Gandhi is the sixth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to lead the Congress. Sonia Gandhi held the post for 19 years and will deliver her farewell speech at an event tomorrow. Born on Dec. 9, 1946, Sonia Gandhi took over as the party President in 1998, seven years after the assassination of her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Born in a small village near Vicenza, Italy, Gandhi was raised in a Roman Catholic Christian family. She did her higher education from Cambridge and married Rajiv Gandhi in 1968. She later took up Indian citizenship and began living with her mother-in-law, the then PM Indira Gandhi. Of late, Sonia has faced some health issues. She was admitted to the Sri Gangaram Hospital in New Delhi earlier this year due to a  bad stomach. After her retirement from politics, Sonia can either stay away from all the party proceedings or might take up the role of a mentor.